Quest to pass emissions for turbo DSM

Mt grandparents wanted to do something nice this past week. They heard that the car was not emissions tested yet and wanted to go do it while I was away at work. They took it to this place called Hydes Auto. Presumably they knew a guy who worked there. He just popped the hood took one look and said it will never pass emissions. My grandparents gave me back the news. Obviously this guy either does not know what he is talking about or it too lazy to explain he does not know how a turbo works. Anyhow I pulled the codes from the ECU and they read " o2 sensor bank one no activity and small evap leak". A small evap leak is a vacuum hose normally FYI. I had the alternator tested and there was the culprate for sub-standard spark. The Alternator should output 90 amps from this orginal DSM alternator. At maximum reved to 3000 RPM it only made 32.5. That is 1/3 what it should.

I pulled the 02 bosch sensor and it was pretty gunked up as you can see. It is only 6 months old but they are cheap and come with a 2 year exchange warranty, so the exchange is free. :) Later I will get a NGK.

After I changed the spark splugs and put in the new o2 the engine light went off dispite the small vacuum leak. Well I guess that guy just did not know anything about a DSM. I still need an alternator though but it now will pass emissions, thanks to no one else but me.. Thanks for reading.

Xbox 360 enclosure freshly fiberglassed gets pulled from the dash

Imagine this enclosure is in the dash at this moment. You can see how curvy the fiberglass is when we use stretch cloth to form it first. The mushroomed edges are intentional as they overlap the dash at this time. They make sure that everytime I set it back into the dash that it sits securely without screwing it down. Screwing it in and them unscrewing it over and over through the finishing of this peice would be such a pain. Also since I don't care about the edges with the excess there , if the sander chips and edge it it doesn't matter as I will trim is before installation anyway.

This view from the back really tells all. The cloth is affixed to the frame ans stretched to edges. However now I need to apply resin and a layer of fiberglass matt to the backing. This will reinforce the enclosures shape so that it does not warp from heat or crack from pressure of sanding the opposite side to make it pretty :) PS: Anytime somthing is made of fiberglass, if it only has one layer of fiberglass matt it will warp and flex with heat. Fiberglass gets stregth from multiple layer supporting each other and bonden with resin.

Taken in mind we need at least two layer of fiberglass matt I will test fit the enclosure tonight to make sure fitment is still good and add another supporting layer. This will mean the finished piece will have 2 layers backing the enclosure. I did add one layer to the inside, but much if not all of that layer will be removed from sanding.

This is the bottom of the enclosure and Xbox 360. All the wires and even the fans exhuast downward. This all faces the floor board and makes wiring fairely simple as it could look like a complete rats nest and noone would know. So for now this works very well. We already have a water cooling kit so that it can operate without issues in summer temperatures. The 360 water cooling kit is from Thermaltake, but we may use an Koolance unit instead. The hoses would come out the area where the fans are now, so there are no need for extra holes or changes to the enclosure in the future.

Here is a broken 360 I have at the house that I slid inside the enclosure standing up to show a view from what would be the passneger area. This is just a substitute 360 and not the one shown in previous posts with the drive window and other mods. It is being powder coated right now and I will have it back this weekend I believe.

360 Parts are Candy Red! WOW

Here are the 360 parts picture right after jeff powdercoated them candy red. Very deep and goes well withthe Iron Man 360 Color scheme we are going for! More pictures will follow!

360 install in Eagle Talon DSM , Resin applied to fleece for fiberglassing.

360 Fleece gets stretched to the edges of the former airbag pocket

The first layer of resin was applied to the fleece. I used about 10 ounces here. I mixed 20 ounces but the stuff hardens quickly. I applied one layer of fiberglass matt and it reallt roughed up the surface. All thats left to do is apply resin to the overlapping edges of the opening. Even though they will get trimmed off in the end, they will make sure that each time the enclosure is test fitted that it sits in the same exact way.

360 Fleece gets stretched to the edges of the former airbag pocket and hot glued in place to the painters tape.. The dash has been layered over with blue painters tape. The fleece was stapled to the MDF backing. The red lines are a tracing around the xbox 360 before it was removed for these steps.

Here is a dry test fit. In this picture I am trying to see where the 360 needs to be inside the dash. I descided to install it 1 inch higher than seen below so it is more centered.

Here is the 360 in the fram I made for it. This fram will only support the 360 after it is attached by screws or glue from the back. Otherwise it keeps the unit upright and level.

Here is te empty dash before the glovebox was temp reinstalled and dash taped off with painters tape.

Eclipse Spyder trunk install , 4g63T with Diamond Audio and fiberglass

Eclipse Spyder trunk install with Diamond Audio amp and sub.

This is it outside the car in better lighting, it turned out well.

This was done for the Dreamcast car, Xbox car is next :)

This is sitting in the floor

This is in the car, the rubber seal is not on, but wraps around the whole edge. This hides imperfections.

Xbox 360 in dash install Update, 360 gets a test fit inside the dash

Iron Man themed Xbox 360 Elite gets to try on some shoes! Woo!

As you know by checking the past two posts, a frame was made for the 360 for mounting. Then we cut a drive window in the drive. Turns out we have a little more room than I thought. The white is just the base and won't be visible after fibeglass is made.

Here is a straight on view from the passanger seat. When it is installed I will adjust it to sit 1 inch higher that it ise now so that the case is more centered.

Here is a shot with the unfinished bent plexiglass sitting on top over the mounting spot.


I polished the left edge of the plexi just for fun before this picture to show how clear and shiny it can get. All the blue is tape to prevent scratching the dash or smearing adhesive on by accident.

Updated design soon to reflect the fram and install of Xbox 360

Rainy days really are productive!

Here is the updated design. If you look at the older design from a few days ago the bridge was one piece. Just for sake of adjusting I am making it a three piece. One bridge and two legs. They will only be 2" or less tall due to space constraints and a screw mounted every 3/4" on the edges. Eight screws all together. This also refects the new drive bay window installed last night. The blue coloreed material is raw plexi glass, of which ironically is covered with a blue film. Until the install is done it will stay and then later be peeled away.

This is the actual unit so far. Cutting all the way to the edges of the disc was really pain staking but worth the effort! The current brindge must be removed to put in a plexi base. Before I do this I will test fit to make sure there is room. If there is expect to see a plexi base being cut and new bridge to replace this flimsy version used for test fitting. Turns out rainy days really can be productive! Thanks for reading.

Xbox 360 DIY cut a drive window, update for 360 install

IRON MAN color themed Xbox 360 elite gets DVD drive window

The custom install 360 for our project gets a new drive window and this is how we did it. As you know this 360 will be powdercoated Kandy red including the drive case, so the window had to be perfected now before the final color is applied. Thanks for reading! ( Though this is a DIY article, I am not resposible for voicing any warranty or breaking somthing)

This is the Xbox 360 with the clam shell case removed. It is pretty simple and I did it with a T6 screw driver and finger nail clippers. Above you see the 360 in the frame that will be used to make a fiberglass ( or carbon fiber) enclosure around it. We are wanting carbon but doesn't everyone?! :)

Be careful removing the DVD drive becuase these days electronics can break easy. Only the four screws on the four edge tabs should be removed. There are two plugs, removed both and leave them attached to the motherboard.


Here is the picture right after the cover was removed. Take in ming the cd in in upside down, I just did that for the pictures. Cover the disc drive to prevent dust gettin in, and DO NOT cut the cover even in the same room with the drive internals! The dust is conductive and wil cause a short.



Use the cd and measure to find the middle of the circle in on the cover. I drew a cross hatch. Use the cross hatch to line up the cd. Then use a fine tipped perminant marker to draw the circle. The circle must be perminant and resiliant to washing.


Here is the fine tracing of the CD. Notice I stopped at the groove that is already in the case. I used this as a reference point to make sure the circle was even on both sides. Remember that if you use a regular sharpie it will be more difficult to cut the window in a perfect circle.


I used a cutting wheel to made the rough cut within 1/4 inch from the line. You can not risk being closer because cutting wheels vibrate and jump sometimes. It is not worth buying another drive if there is a mistake.

Test fit after rough cut with disc cutter.

Top view od rough cut. Now I will pull out a grinding stone to finish the edges all the way to the fine line e made earlier. Go slow, this part takes an hour by itself.


After the deburring I sanded edges with 120 grit sand paper wet. I removed the sticker and put it away for safe keeping in case I ever need a model number. Yes the cd is in backwards, its just for looks for the picture. Now this drive is ready for candy red color! Also I will light the drive up with EL wire from the inside. It should be impressive! Thanks for reading.

IRON MAN Project Xbox 360 Elite

being held up in the dash just to see what it looks like and get a feel for positioning. Everything will be very tight so I hope it come out clean. The dash is already taped off for fiberglassing, permitting that it is not too humid outside this afternoon to apply resin to polyester cloth.

Here is another picture of the xbox in the dash about 1 inch lower that it would actually be when mounted, but the mount I sprayed with sealant was not dry enough to stary playing with position. This will do. I am thinking this install will be simple, eyebrow raising, and a little different.

Iron Man themed Xbox 360 in car install 3D model

Iron Man Xbox 360 install 3d frame model

This model helps plan the Iron Man themed xbox 360 install in the Silver Eclipse. Special features like a " Arc reactor chest piece model" window and candy red powdercoating on the metal frame and drive case. Other pieces will get chromed or small details of gold.

Same drawing as above however I added color. I plan to have the steel fram the 360 sits in powdercoated candy red and the DVD drive as well. I drew this model without the drive window however I plan on having one. I will modify this model to see how it all looks. I already made another model that includes the plexiglass light up base and I will mod it further so I have a good idea of what everything looks like. The drive window will let you see inside the DVD drive to watch the disc spin. I plan to make a plexi cover for dvd drive to protect the insides from dust and then bond a plexi ring that will light up with electroluminesent material as a model of Iron Mans chest piece.

Here is the basic frame. It consists of 1/2 inch MDF backing with brads to a bridge that the Xbox 360 sits under. Each leg of the bridge has a wedge shaped support glued on. This is not intended to be a premenant frame, but a frame to make a fiberglass enclosure for the 360.

This is the fram with a mockup of the xbox 360 shape. Take in mind this is a basic design without measurements and is not prefectly to scale. I did just post pictures of the frame with the xbox 360 inside to show how it fits together.

Car PC / Iron Man Xbox 360 in car install begins! MP3 and Mobile gaming. Fiberglass install with paint for Eclipse / Talon

Iron Man Xbox 360 themed install

Here is the Xbox 360 repurposed as an in car PC. This is lightly touched on at MP3car.com and other Xbox 360 forums. However we never see one heavely modded for show and also installed in a car. Most the install seen are simply a inverter wired to the xbox 360 and place it in a floor board. In any case they are weak and make an uneventful presence in the car, as if they go unnoticed. I am going with a Iron man theme xbox 360, with red colors and maybe ( big maybe) I will add small gold accents. I plan to make a plexi light up piece for the DVD drive over the cd cut out I will make that will look like iron mans chest piece. The case for the DVD drive will be powdercoated or painted candy red as well as the metal cage all the electronics for the 360 are sitting in.

To start with we need a cleaned out area to do an install in. Fortunanly I previouslt made a home for a full size desktop PC in my car the previous year. Since the video burned out due to non- incar related reasons and left me with a choice. Install another computer or do somthing better.... Okay we know what choice I made. The air bag in this picture was removed however it is not totally needed to install a 360 in a dash. A glovebox in most cases will accomodate a xbox 360 board and airflow is a non-issue as the machine should always be watercooled when installed in a vehicle. Water cooling and having a large resevoir of cool water ( or other coolant) will keep the 360 temp closer to ambient. Trying to air cool this in a car is already difficult.

Here is the initial Xbox 360 frame. It does not need to be too complicated , we will get elaborate with fiberglassing. The frame at this point consists of the 1/2 inch MDF backplane and a knotched out bottom support. The fiberglass will meet the knotched bridge over and the bottom edge will be hidden inside the dash. Two wedges were cut to make extra support for the knotched piece. These only hold the bridge perfectly in place because the 360 will in be in the frame when everything is stretched and fiberglassed. Fiberglass resin ruins just about everything it touches and please always use gloves! The frame seen here is only the wood and the brigdge has two screws holding it in place from the back side. A piece a 1/4 in plexi will be cut and placed under the bridge as the xbox will sit ontop of lit plexi after all the fiberglass is made.

As you can see from the bottom, the DVI connections are here as this is a newer 2007 made xbox 360. Some ask " where are you putting all those wires in such a small space?" Well first off there will be enough room on the side for the hard drive to plug onto, so that is covered. The HD- DVD drive can plu into the USB port. Though they have been discontinued it may be repurposed as a easy access upgrade/ cd/ dvd player so I dont really need access to the drive in the dash. It will be a pretty asset that is not used often. The power wires and video cabels also run through the botton. The fans exhuast out through the bottom however the machine will be liquid cooled before the install is done, The space where the fans where is where the water cooling hoses and other lighting wires will pass through.

Given that resin ruins everything and it only takes one mistake to ruin the dash, I have covered the adjasent areas with overlapping masking tape, and plastic will be taped over this to reduce chances of dripping.

Since the plexi cover is already made and I dont feel like making another one over agian when this just needs to be polished. The floor will be covered with towels and the side panel with paper. By pressing down on the cover while it is curing we insure that the fiberglass tub will fit under the plexi and still lay flush and it will help keep the fleece tuaght while the initial fiberglass cures. Wrinkles are the enemy and are prevented at all cost. I will also use hot glue to tack the fleece to the masking tape for fine tuning of the shape before application of the resin hardener.

Updates will follow soon as the fleece attached to the backplane and bridge. I will followup will illistrations for this post of plans. Thanks for reading!